Next in our Top Three Management Tips series, we spoke with Tania Swasbrook, vice president and marketing director of Travelworld of Coronado. Swasbrook appeared on our cover in May representing her family’s California-based agency.
Last year, Travelworld of Coronado won Virtuoso’s “Most Engaged Agency” award; this year it’s looking to double the number of advisors they have on board. Swasbrook’s top tips are:
1. Live the Mission Statement
You don’t sell a product; you sell a way of life. If you are a luxury travel agency, you and your team need to understand what that means and reflect that to the world. Travel like a client would travel so you understand all the details it entails (within reason of course; it’s a case of taste testing!): dress well, speak well, and act well. Make sure you and your team are a unified front, a community that represents who you are.
2. Education, Education, Education
We are in the business of knowing "the world". We need to keep up to speed on news, travel trends, locations, travel brands and more. Ours is a virtual world but at that, there is no such thing as 9-5…ever. It is a constant state of education and everyone has to be a part of it.
3. Inspire
You must remember the “why” of what you do. Your “why” is the purpose, cause or belief that inspires you to do what you do, which allows you do inspire others (as explained by Simon Sinek in Start with Why). You can’t run a successful agency without putting your clients first, nor can your team inspire your clients without being inspired. As a manager, lead by example and set the pace for your team by your expectations so they can inspire and lead your clients.
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